Prognostications of precipitation produces protuberant pronunciations

As April comes to a close, I am really enjoying the warmer weather, colorful garden, and long walks in the park. Ramping up a few projects and finishing others have kept me busy as well. Aaron and Janelle came over the other day and helped me lay the groundwork for my raised bed. In the baby's room, one out of three mandalas have been completed as shown in the picture below. The next step for that room is ripping up the carpet and laying wood floors. Anyone who wants to partake in carpet demolition, please let me know! It makes my sinuses fill up just thinking about it....
Food, from preparation, eating, and cleaning up, invariably occupies a slice of everyday. I have been learning to cook on the grill. We are always perfecting our homemade pizza pies. In addition Derek and I are preparing food for the local Obama headquarters in our area. No doubt we've fed the economy quite a bit through feeding ourselves and others. You're welcome Costco and Trader Joes!
Yesterday I went for my monthly OB appointment and realized I am heading into my third trimester in a few weeks. It has all gone so fast! I have gained 1.4 stones (I'm making it cryptic so you have to work to figure that out) since I've become pregnant. It's all staying in the tummy (for now) probably because of my daily walks and house projects. Boy oh boy Theo going to be a big boy...did I say I wanted a natural childbirth???
I will end with a witty poem by Ogden Nash titled The Parent.

Children aren't happy with nothing to ignore,
And that's what parents were created for.

San Fran in April

San Francisco was an interesting and fun travail. I say travail because I walked 5 to 10 miles a day up and down hills, exploring the city while Derek was at a security conference. This is a great city to visit when you want beautiful weather and a great workout. I got a three day pass for the public transit, so I took buses, cable cars, and electric trolleys all around the city. I was amused by people-watching as much as looking at the scenery. SF is full of eccentric types, some unstable(in sad and/or humorous ways) and some very intelligent. One of my most memorable moments had to do with such a character. I was walking up Geary(it runs at about a 6o degree angle for about a mile), tired and weary. I looked over in the street in awe as a vagabond with his shopping cart started freewheeling down Geary in the oncoming lane, legs up and laughing the whole way. Another guy looked like he was blessing each tree he passed on Market. On the other hand, most people were helpful and friendly. It was nice to hear multiple languages from all over the world as well.
Even though I walked a lot I ate enough to make up for it. We found a brewery around the corner from our hotel that specialized in Spanish tapas. Charming men with heavy Italian accents served me some of the best Italian meals, sandwiches, and desserts I have in a long time. Almost all of the restaurants there have organic, free-range, fresh produce and meats. I was in food heaven! Below are some of the pictures I took along my journeys in the city. (if you click on the picture you can go to the album and see them in a larger format)

Visiting Kentucky

Once again I hitched a ride to Kentucky with dad to see Jason, Heather and the kids. The event was Adam's blessing at church, but as visits to the Vest house go there was also a glut of gourmet food, photo ops, and general silliness. It was an overcast, temperate day with a smattering of green appearing on the ground and buds maturing on the tree limbs. I could not resist leaving church early to grab a smoothie and crab sushi (wait for the next meal for several hours?? not possible!) from Whole Foods and walk around outside and through the adjoining bookstore. Although the weather was satisfactory, the company thereafter was exceptional.

Let the silliness commence!

And did I mention the food? This was the best dark chocolate cheesecake I have ever tasted. Leave it to Jason to outdo himself every time.